In the News - Evangelicals Lament a Politicized Faith
May 10, 2008 by theophilusmonk
A very interesting article in the online Christianity Today concerning the politicization of faith within the evangelical movement. An important new document has been issued that ”calls for allegiance higher than political party, nationality, or ideology.” This document continues by saying that, “Evangelical Christians should be defined by their theology — and not their politics — to avoid becoming ‘useful idiots’ of a political party, a group of leaders said Wednesday in a new statement. The document, ‘An Evangelical Manifesto,’ reflects the frustration of some within a movement that claims about one in four Americans over how they are perceived by others and who can speak for them. The 19-page document declares that evangelicals err when they try to politicize faith and use Christian beliefs for political purposes.” A nine member committee spent three years working on this statement and their document “at times upbraids evangelicals for contributing to their own image problems, comes about six months after a poll showed that many young people grade Christianity as being judgmental and hypocritical. Drafters of the new document said they knew other evangelicals who were ‘ashamed’ or ‘reluctant’ to describe themselves as evangelical.” The document hopes to get folks back on the track of Jesus and the Gospel stressing “the importance of sharing the belief that Jesus is the only Savior of mankind. It expresses concern that ‘a generation of culture warring’ has created a backlash against religion in public life.” Amen! You can read the entire article by following this link http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/mayweb-only/119-51.0.html?start=1 .
Also here is a link to a related online article posted on May 23, 2008 in USN&WR http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/13/the-evangelical-manifesto-what-it-means.html .
Also here is the link to the 19 page evangelical manifesto http://www.evangelicalmanifesto.com/ .
i’m enjoying reading the various opinions here and there around the web. i had some hesitations and misgivings before reading the document, but i’m actually quite impressed and invigorated after taking in the whole of what it addresses.
one of the things i like is that the authors have chosen not to list creationism and inerrancy as non-negotiables. for the first, there’s very little biblical justification anymore behind whatever the latest flavor of anti-natural-selection dessert is being served up; for the latter, somehow we can admit that we can’t prove the existence of God, but goshdarnit we have a golden egg this unprovable God laid right here. still, some people hold to these positions; so be it. there’s simply too much of a tendency to add items to the ever-increasing laundry list of ideas and doctrines to which we have to pledge allegiance before we’re allowed into the room marked “Christian.”
nothing’s going to please everybody, and there are a few things i object to. for instance, i don’t agree with this statement: We Evangelicals should be defined theologically, and not politically, socially, or culturally. Jesus’ message uses “action” verbs: teach them to DO as I have commanded you, LOVE God and LOVE your neighbor, by this will all men know … if you LOVE one another. any theology that defines us must have feet.
i did, however, like these words: We are also troubled by the fact that the advance of globalization and the emergence of a global public square finds no matching vision of how we are to live freely, justly, and peacefully with our deepest differences on the global stage. somehow, we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to peacefully share the same bathroom over the next few decades in our ever-shrinking world.
one interesting thing: maybe i missed it, but there doesn’t seem to be a great emphasis on evangelism in this Evangelical Manifesto. do you think that was intentional? i didn’t see a single chick tract referenced in the bibliography…
more than anything, i find myself motivated and energized by the very positive nature of the piece - that it isn’t yet another “here’s everything we’re against” rant but an effort to make the gospel again a message of good news. imagine that - the gospel being good news. American Christianity has lost this defining characteristic that once served it well.
perhaps one unintended benefit of the proposal is a clear opportunity to take this EM (Evangelical Manifesto) and align it with the other EM (Emergent Manifesto) and finally have all our EM & EMs in a row without demonizing the other side.
one can only hope…
mike rucker
fairburn, georgia, usa
mikerucker.wordpress.com